Specter's seniority bothers some Demos

WASHINGTON, April 30 (UPI) -- Senior Senate Democrats are said to be objecting to Sen. Arlen Specter keeping his seniority now that he has left the GOP.

Specter this week announced he was joining the Democratic Party.

Several Democrats were reported furious with Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., for agreeing to allow Specter to keep his 28 years of seniority and will try to block the move.

The agreement would allow the Pennsylvania lawmaker to leap past senior Democrats on powerful committees such as appropriations and judiciary, The Hill reported.

In fact, under his deal with Reid, Specter would jump ahead of all but a few Democrats when it comes time to dole out committee chairmanships and assignments after the 2010 elections.

Meanwhile, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and two other members of the Senate Republican leadership asked Specter to refund campaign donations.